Isis Changes Name To Softcard To Distance Mobile Wallet From Militant Group

NEW YORK CITY -- The Isis Wallet is now called Softcard. The new name follows the company's announcement in July that it would rebrand to avoid association with the Islamic militant group responsible for thousands of deaths across Iraq and Syria, including the recent executions of American journalists.

AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Wireless teamed up four years ago to form Isis, before the violent terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- or ISIS -- began to dominate headlines around the world.

The Isis mobile app allows consumers to pay, redeem coupons and present loyalty cards with a tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone.

The company said its current Isis Wallet will continue to work as it has. In the next few weeks, it will launch the updated Softcard app. At that point, users can update their app as they normally would and see that Isis Wallet has become Softcard.

A statement from Softcard chief executive Michael Abbot is below.

A Message from the CEO: Isis Wallet is Becoming Softcard

In July, we announced that we would rebrand the Isis Wallet to avoid confusion and association with a violent Islamic militant group in the Middle East whose name, when translated into English, is known by the acronym, ISIS. However coincidental, we have no desire to share a name with this group and our hearts go out to those affected by this violence.

Our search for a new name has been rooted in our founding vision: to use the power of the mobile phone to help consumers find a safer and better way to shop, pay and save. But we also wanted a name and visual identity that had the power, flexibility, and simplicity to define our category.

Today, I'm pleased to announce we will rebrand the Isis Wallet to Softcard.

Together with a simple and flexible visual system, the inherent simplicity of Softcard gives it the potential to become a category defining name. That's a bold aspiration, but one that matches the breadth of our vision.

What does this mean for our customers?

First and most importantly, your current Isis Wallet will continue to work as it always has. In the next few weeks, we will launch the updated Softcard app. At that point, you can update your app as you normally would and see that your Isis Wallet has become Softcard.

We appreciate your patience as we work through this effort. Because we've chosen to move swiftly, small traces of Isis will be visible for a short time.

We thank you for your patience and ongoing support as we transition to Softcard.